The Global Fight Against Cancer

World Health Assembly Provides a Significant Opportunity in the Fight Against Chronic Diseases

By Ann McMikel, Interim Vice President, Global Health, American Cancer Society

The 66th Session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) will take place May 20-28 in Geneva, Switzerland. The assembly will hopefully serve as the culmination of targeted advocacy efforts and campaigns to put in place a strong Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and the beginning of efforts to implement the plan around the world. The global action plan and the comprehensive global monitoring framework for the prevention and control of NCDs provide a significant opportunity to help fight NCDs at global and national levels.

The American Cancer Society helped lead a global grassroots effort to support the UN High-level Meeting on NCDs in September 2011 and the adoption of the NCD Political Declaration elevating cancer and other NCDs on the global health and development agenda. Through its global grassroots advocacy network, the Society worked to ensure that the language of the UN Political Declaration supports evidence-based cancer prevention and control priorities. As part of its Global Health Strategy, the American Cancer Society also launched the ‘Meet the Targets’ program in nine countries with an aim to support national advocacy efforts in key priority countries to ensure national implementation of the commitments made in the political declaration of the UN High level Meeting on NCDs.

 

American Cancer Society 'Meet the Targets' program meeting at the 2012 World Cancer Congress in Montreal

The American Cancer Society is joining forces with its partners at the UICC, the NCD Alliance, the Preventive Health Partnership, and its network of global advocates around the world to urge government leaders attending the WHA to adopt a robust global action plan to fulfill commitments made in the UN Political Declaration on NCDs. Click here to read the NCD Alliance briefing on the NCD resolution for adoption at WHA.

 

Improving Access to Pain Relief in sub-Saharan Africa

By Meg O’Brien, PhD, Program Director, American Cancer Society Treat the Pain program

Each year, more than 2.9 million people in low- and middle-income countries die in pain from HIV or cancer without receiving adequate pain relief. Although opioids such as morphine are plentiful, easy to use, effective, and inexpensive, 43% of people worldwide live in countries where a minimum of 75% of deaths in pain are untreated.

Over the past three years, the American Cancer Society Treat the Pain program has established partnerships with ministries of health and civil society organizations to untangle the web of challenges to treating pain. Our work is focused on strengthening government efforts to treat pain, working with suppliers and  drug procurement agencies to procure and distribute these essential medicines, improving the skills and practice of health workers, and raising awareness about the issue of untreated pain.

These efforts have resulted in making an additional 2.8 million days of pain treatment available in our partner countries, relieving unnecessary suffering, and demonstrating that low-cost interventions can have a widespread and immediate impact.

We have recently joined with our partners to write an article in Lancet Oncology titled Improving Access to Analgesic Drugs for Patients with Cancer in sub-Saharan Africa, in which we describe a general framework for identifying and ordering key interventions to improve access to pain relief and efforts under way in three of our partner countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Read the article to learn how these efforts have led to a significant improvement in drug availability and provided a roadmap for other countries to follow. They demonstrate that small, targeted investments can deliver meaningful results on a national level.

Learn more about the American Cancer Society’s work in global pain control at treatthepain.org

Patient Advocacy in Latin America

By Gustavo S. Azenha, PhD, Lead Manager, American Cancer Society Global Health Department

According to a report launched here at the Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group (LACOG) 2013 conference in Sao Paulo today, there will be 1.7 million cases of cancer diagnosed across Latin America and the Caribbean by 2030. Latin America faces a cancer epidemic unless governments act quickly to improve health care systems and treat the poor. 

Non-government organizations (NGOs) focusing on cancer in Latin America have typically been founded by survivors motivated to help others and their primary focus has been  de-stigmatizing cancer and giving hope to patients . Although NGOs have played an important role in increasing awareness, patient support, patient care and advocacy for policy change, the impact of advocacy groups has been rather limited in this region due to the lack of resources. Most of the advocacy groups find themselves filling a void and navigating patients to existing services or fighting in courts for access to treatments for individual patients.

However, advocacy groups in Latin America are increasingly aware of the need to change policy and have begun organizing themselves to take on a more comprehensive approach to cancer awareness and advocacy.  The Society's capacity building, training, and grants programs in the region have played an important role in strengthening advocacy capacity and coalition building, leading to important policy impacts that have improved access to and quality of cancer prevention and care.

We must continue to make some noise about NCDs

By Rennie Sloan, Director, Global Health Communications, American Cancer Society

In April, we observe World Health Day to celebrate the founding of the World Health Organization and to highlight global disease priorities. This year, the spotlight is on hypertension, a major contributor to cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease, along with cancer, diabetes, and respiratory diseases, are the leading causes of death in the world. Each year, these noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) cause about 65% of global deaths, taking the lives of 36 million people.

As developing countries experience economic progress and see a growing aging population, they also face a looming pandemic of NCDs. New cancer cases alone are projected to increase by 75% by 2030. The world's poorest populations are the most vulnerable to the health and economic consequences from these diseases. They face inadequate education and access to prevention, early detection, and treatment. Additionally, these diseases often cause death or disability in the most productive years of life. Yet, we know how to prevent and treat most NCDs. The technical expertise is available, but the political will, resource allocation, and multi-sectoral commitment is not yet to scale with the current and projected NCD health burden. The economy also suffers from NCDs -- without urgent action, chronic diseases could cost $47 trillion in the next two decades.

We have much to be thankful in April as we anticipate the May adoption of the World Health Organization's NCD Action Plan, which will help guide regional and national plans. This success, which builds upon the historic 2011 UN High-level Meeting on NCDs, is the result of public health advocates whose tireless grassroots work led to unprecedented grasstops change. NCDs are now on the map. But too many people still don't know what NCDs are or the health and economic toll they cause. Dr. Alessandro Demaio pointed out in a recent PLoS blog that we need to tone down the "negative rhetoric" on NCDs and focus on the opportunities we have to avoid political stagnation. Addressing NCDs through a comprehensive approach, he said, via sustainable development and strengthening health systems, will lead to a healthier environment and improve overall quality of life.

We should shine the light on positive outcomes and can change the tone or rhetoric, but we must continue to make some noise about NCDs. The definition of rhetoric can range from "empty talk" to passionate public orations from Plato and Aristotle to persuade specific audiences. In its most basic form, rhetoric simply means the art of discourse. It's important for global health advocates to keep a steady discourse on NCDs, and amplify the critical message about the disproportionate toll they take on countries least equipped to tackle them.

"I am proud to be a voice for Reach to Recovery International"

By Cathy Hirsch, American Cancer Society volunteer and President of Reach to Recovery International

Ten years ago this spring, my doctor gave me the dreaded news.  I had breast cancer.  I was only 43 -- a married mother of two elementary school children.  I had a legal career.  In my view, I was much too young and much too busy to have to deal with a deadly disease.  I was instantly overwhelmed with doctor's appointments, medical jargon, and trying to map out a battle plan against a disease that hides in an impenetrable grey area.  I was not sure that I would survive long enough to see my children grow up.  I dreaded surgery and, especially, chemotherapy and the nausea and fatigue that would come along with it.  I mourned the impending loss of my hair, and wondered if I would live to see it grow back.

The dark cloud that seemed to hover over me in those early days after my diagnosis began to lift when I received a telephone call from a stranger.  Her name was Allison, and she was a seven-year breast cancer survivor and an American Cancer Society Reach to Recovery volunteer.

Allison's call came during my darkest time, just days before my chemotherapy was to begin.  She assured me that, although I would have some bad days, chemo would not prevent be from living my life as usual.  With a few minor adjustments, I could continue to carry on most of my routine activities.  Allison's words lifted my spirits like nothing else could have done.  Although I had excellent health care and my doctors had explained what to expect, they had never walked in my shoes.  Allison had been there, and seven years later she was still thriving.  My conversation with Allison gave me something I had been sorely lacking -- hope.

Two years after completing my treatments, I was ready to pay Allison’s kindness forward by becoming a Reach to Recovery volunteer myself.  I signed up with the American Cancer Society office in the Baltimore area, where I live.  Since then, I have met hundreds of breast cancer patients, survivors, and volunteers in my community, all of whom have enriched my life tremendously.

In 2007, my staff partners with the American Cancer Society nominated me to become a member of the Reach to Recovery International (RRI) Committee, and to my great delight I was chosen.  RRI is a program of the Union for International Cancer Control, and it is administered by the Cancer Council Queensland.  It brings together breast cancer survivors, health care professionals, and advocates from all over the world to share ideas and best practices for breast cancer screening and treatment and for supporting breast cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers.

This past week, at the 17^th Reach to Recovery International (RRI) Breast Cancer Support Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, I have been moved beyond words by the strength and courage of survivors I’ve listened to and met. In many ways, our struggles are the same and we are united in our sisterhood as breast cancer survivors.  Cancer knows no geographic borders. Yet, the reality is that patients who are diagnosed with breast cancer in other parts of the world -- particularly low and middle income countries -- face even greater challenges than those that I faced.

Women in developing countries often lack access to breast cancer screening and, as a result, are diagnosed at a later stage.  Even if they are fortunate to find their cancer early, there may not be adequate treatment facilities in their areas.  In some parts of the world, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer is as low as twelve percent.  Sadly, in many countries breast cancer still carries a severe social stigma and women are discouraged from seeking much-needed medical and social support.

It was my great honor this week at the RRI conference in Cape Town to accept the position of President of Reach to Recovery International.   The hundreds of survivors who attended are living proof that peer support can make a tremendous difference in the fight against breast cancer.  It provides women with important, factual information about their diseases, and with a safe outlet, free of judgment, to share and work through their feelings.  I am proud to be a voice for Reach to Recovery -- the proto-type for all cancer peer-support organizations -- on the international level.

As a survivor, a volunteer, and a proud part of this global organization, I am grateful for the opportunity Reach to Recovery has given me, and I look forward to working closely with many of the world's most active and inspiring community breast cancer volunteers.

Tobacco industry abusing the notion of gender equality, yet again!

By: Meenu Anand, Director of Strategy Initiatives at the American Cancer Society

It is not a surprise to witness the tobacco industry targeting women in the developing world through advertising campaigns that exploit women’s aspirations to become independent and self-reliant.  Needless to say, the industry is also making every effort to keep cigarettes cheap and affordable for their new marketing targets. Those strategies are quite simply a replay of their tactics in the developed world. 

While it is true that increasing tobacco use is not the only issue the developing world – and women in particular – face today, it is certainly one for which the path of devastation is known. It is also one we know how to bring under control. The global community therefore has a choice: It can sit back and watch the impending economic and health destruction unfold over the coming decades, or it can take action now and stop the industry from luring women into smoking. 

 

Let’s strengthen our voices to expose this deceptive tactic used by the tobacco industry to exploit the hopes of gender equality among women in developing countries! 

Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of cancer death, accounting for 20% of cancer deaths worldwide. Although current prevalence of adult cigarette smoking is low in places like Africa, cigarette consumption is increasing because of the adoption of Western behaviors and aggressive marketing by tobacco companies targeting youth and women that portray smoking as a stylish activity.  

Cigarette smoking not only increases the risk for lung cancer, but it also doubles the risk of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is already a leading killer of women in developing countries, causing devastating effects on families and communities. 

In addition to being linked to an increased risk for 13 other types of cancer in the body, for women, using tobacco can damage reproductive health and is harmful to babies. Women who smoke are more likely to have trouble getting pregnant and have a higher risk of miscarriage, early delivery (premature birth), stillbirths, and low birth-weight babies. Furthermore, tobacco use is closely related to poverty in developing nations. Families often have to sacrifice essential household expenditures such as food and education (most likely for young girls) in order to afford tobacco.

While most developing nations have signed the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), few have implemented the obligations laid out by the framework. Adopting and enforcing proven tobacco control strategies, such as raising the price of tobacco products, banning the advertisement of tobacco products, and educating women and girls on the harms of tobacco, can change the current course of rising tobacco use among women.

This year the American Cancer Society will celebrate its 100th birthday as the largest voluntary health organization in the world, and we have made tobacco control a priority for our global work. In observance of International Women’s Day, we ask for collective voices to amplify the message that governments should stop the predatory practices of the tobacco industry in targeting women.

Together, we have an unprecedented opportunity to change the course of the looming tobacco epidemic in women.

No woman should die from cervical cancer

 

Today, International Women's Day, guest blogger Genevieve Sambhi, former Miss Malaysia/Universe first runner-up shares her cervical cancer story. 

   

For me, this has been the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with. I am a mother of two young kids (Isabella was four and Alexander just 15 months at the time). The thought of not being there for them as they grew up, is what gave me the strength to go on and fight.

I can remember the day when my world came tumbling down. It was 6th of April 2009 and I’d been for my annual pap smear test three days earlier. I was at home feeding my kids their dinner, when a phone call from my father came through, (my father is a prominent gynecologist here), telling me that there were abnormalities' in my pap smear specimen.

The next day I was sent to a gynecologist who did more tests and told me I would be fine. However, two days later I was told I would need a cone biopsy. I felt ok and just wanted to get it over and done with. The surgery was minor and I was home the next day.

However 10 days later, I was then served the news that the cells were not pre-cancer and was more aggressive than first thought. I would need a hysterectomy. I was 35! This is when I sat down and properly cried. Who would look after my babies? I had cancer and surely that meant the end. This is when I believed that I would die.

I was given a month to come to terms with everything, before my surgery. I found it very difficult to accept that I was losing my uterus at 35. But finally it just dawned on me, I had 2 kids. I had a girl and a boy and a chance. That was all that mattered.

I went in for my surgery, and the next day back on my feet! I remember my dad saying that none of his patients were ever on their feet the day after a hysterectomy...... I answered... how many of your patients are 35? That was one thing I did have in my favor...age!

However, a week later, I was dealt, the worst blow. The cancer had spread and I would need radiation and chemotherapy. My world came tumbling back down. This was when I began to think and question, what had I done to deserve all this? I was a healthy, young, mother of two. I didn't smoke and drank in moderation. I exercised regularly and I have been with my husband since I was 20 years old. Why me? On top of this, I went annually for my pap smears, how had I gone from healthy to chemotherapy in one year?

The treatments were so hard and the only thing that kept me going were my kids, they needed me.

My family gave me the strength I needed to continue and when it was all over, I realized that maybe I could make a difference. I began to work with the National Cancer Society of Malaysia and we try to spread the word that cancer does not discriminate. If I could get it, then so could you. I believe No woman should have to go through what I did, and maybe I had to go through it, so there was someone who could spread the word that there is hope and you can get through it.

I am now three years clear and every three months when I go for my pap smear, I do wonder that if the cancer came back, could I go through it all again. The answer is yes! My kids need me!

 

Myth: Cancer is just a health issue

By Jacqui Drope, Managing Director, Global Tobacco Control, American Cancer Society

“Of all of the myths about cancer, I believe one of the most harmful misconceptions today is that cancer is a disease exclusive to wealthy, or developed, countries such as the United States. I use the term “harmful” because lack of awareness about the tremendous cancer burden facing countries around the world – both in terms of lives lost and economic consequences – means cancer death rates will continue to rise, and countries will continue to struggle economically. But that is if we as a global community do not recognize the enormity of this burden and take action.”

Cancer is both a cause and an outcome of poverty. Cancer negatively impacts families’ ability to earn an income with high treatment costs pushing them further into poverty. At the same time, poverty, lack of access to education and healthcare increases a person’s risk of getting cancer and dying from the disease.

In 2008, 55 percent of new cancer cases were reported in developing nations. Africa had about 715,000 new cancer cases and 542,000 cancer deaths.  According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), by 2030, these numbers are projected to nearly double (1.28 million new cancer cases and 970,000 cancer deaths), with the potential to be even higher because of the adoption of behav­iors and lifestyles associated with economic development, such as smoking, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity. Click here to learn more about Cancer in Africa.

World Cancer Day, an initiative of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), provides us with the chance to raise our collective voices to improve knowledge around cancer and dispel misconceptions about the disease.

Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of cancer death, accounting for 20% of cancer deaths worldwide and for about 6% of cancer deaths in Africa.  Although current prevalence of adult cigarette smoking is low in Africa, cigarette consumption is increasing in parts of this region because of the adoption of Western behaviors and aggressive marketing by tobacco companies that portray smoking as a stylish activity, particularly targeting youth and women.  Smoking among youth in Africa is almost as high as and sometimes even higher than in adults.

Cigarette smoking not only increases the risk for lung cancer, it is also linked with an increased risk for 13 other types of cancer in the body. In addition to this health burden, tobacco use is closely related to poverty in developing nations.  Families often have to sacrifice essential household expenditures such as food and education in order to afford tobacco.

While most African countries have signed the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), few have implemented tobacco control measures or policies according to the framework. This epidemic can be curbed by adopting and enforcing proven tobacco control strategies such as raising the price of tobacco products, banning the advertisement of tobacco products, and banning smoking in public and work places. These interventions can reverse the trend of rising tobacco use in Africa and save lives from tobacco-related cancer deaths.

World Cancer Day: A time to raise awareness about the global cancer burden

Each year, February 4 – World Cancer Day provides us with an opportunity to unite together and raise our voices around the world about the rising epidemic of cancer. Every year, nearly 8 million people worldwide die from cancer. Many of these deaths can be avoided with increased governmental support and funding for prevention, detection, and treatment programs. To see a change in these numbers, and the project numbers for the future, urgent action is needed to raise awareness about cancer, dispel myths and misconceptions, and develop practical strategies to address the disease.

To help spread the word, we’ve created an infographic that highlights the disproportionate way cancer is impacting the developing world and the sheer number of people that cancer is affecting globally.

In 2010 alone, new cases of cancer totaled 13.2 million, costing $290 billion worldwide. These numbers are projected to rise to 22.2 million new cancer cases in 2030. That’s comparable to every person in Australia getting cancer every year. Projected cancer-related health care costs skyrocket to $458 billion by 2030 if no action is taken with costs to implement strategies to address common cancer risk factors in low- to middle-income countries only costing $2 billion per year.

To view the full infographic, visit cancer.org/globalburden. Help us spread the word by sharing this with your friends on social media.

Creating a Cervical Cancer-free World for Women and Girls

By Maria Blair, American Cancer Society National Vice President for Strategy

The global toll of cancer will continue to rise if where we live determines whether we live. Unfortunately, this is the reality for many people – especially women and girls – around the world. In the western world, the cervical cancer threat has been dramatically reduced thanks to widely available screening tests and vaccines. In developing countries, however, it is still a leading killer of women, often affecting many women in the prime of their lives – women who support families and are key economic contributors in their countries.

Maria Blair represents the American Cancer Society at the GAVI Alliance Partners Forum press conference

At the GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations) Alliance Partners Forum currently under way in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, GAVI has just announced a new commitment  to curb the threat of this disease. With GAVI’s support, by 2020, more than 30 million girls in developing countries could have the opportunity to be immunized against the human papillomavirus (HPV), the leading cause of cervical cancer.

This project has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives each year. The new Cervical Cancer Action Report Card, released December 6 at the GAVI conference, states that if current trends continue, by 2030, cervical cancer is expected to kill more than 474,000 women per year. More than 85 percent of these deaths are expected to be in low- and middle-income countries. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, cervical cancer rates are expected to double. In fact, in Tanzania and other parts of eastern Africa, cervical cancer was the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death, according to the American Cancer Society's Global Cancer Facts & Figures (2nd Edition, 2011).

We must raise awareness about the impact of cervical cancer on women and girls in the developing world and work toward a future free of this highly preventable and curable disease. Prominent African women such as the first ladies of Tanzania, Zambia, and South Africa have made great strides in raising awareness of the devastating burden caused by cervical cancer. But more needs to be done via a multi-sector approach, similar to what we've seen in championing the control of HIV and other infectious diseases in the developing world. We must call on our government leaders to prioritize cervical cancer in their national development and health programs, and ensure that the necessary political and financial commitments are made and sustained. We must also work with and through civil society networks at the local, national, and global levels to accelerate adoption of the HPV vaccine for adolescent girls and increase access to resource-appropriate cervical cancer screening for adult women. These tools are critical “best buys” the global health community must invest in to save lives and end suffering from this disease that needlessly claims the lives of our mothers, sisters, and daughters.

Now more than ever, we have an unprecedented opportunity to prevent, detect, and treat cervical cancer, and it is time all women benefited from this knowledge. GAVI's commitment to making the HPV vaccine more affordable and accessible to 57 of the world's poorest countries is certainly an important step in the right direction. It’s time to recognize women’s health as a right, and not a privilege.

ACS Conducts Intensive Advocacy Workshop for NGO Partners in Brazil

By Bob Chapman, Director US Government and Multilateral Global Health Advocacy, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Inc

The American Cancer Society provided an intensive advocacy workshop for its Brazilian partner cancer NGOs on November 19 and 20. The two day workshop conducted in the nation's capital Brasilia, aimed to strengthen the partner's advocacy skills and understanding of the federal policy making process in Brazil. The curriculum design and training was delivered pro-bono by PATRI, a premiere government relations firm based in Brasilia, which was brokered by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN).

 

The diverse group of select Society grantees were chosen to participate based on their leadership role in cancer and tobacco control advocacy. Focal topics included an advanced overview of the legislative, executive and judicial decision making process, coalition building, federal health appropriations and specific case lectures focused on public health policy. The main objective of the training was to empower cancer NGOs in Brazil with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the intricate federal law making process. It included best practices to mobilize and empower the civil sector in advancing public health issues at the municipal, state and federal levels.  Following the training, the grantees visited the Brazilian legislature and supreme court to observe these institutions in action. 
 
With support from ACS CAN, this training was part of the Society's long term and ongoing efforts in Brazil to strengthen advocacy efforts for comprehensive cancer control, including women's cancer control, tobacco control, and palliative care.  As the largest country in Latin America with a significant cancer burden, Brazil has a been a strategic priority for the Society in its mission delivery globally. In recent years, Brazilian advocates have helped bring about major transformations to cancer prevention and control, including strengthening rights to cancer treatment and palliation, passing national smokefree legislation, and increasing resource mobilization for breast and cervical cancer control to strengthen access to and quality of prevention, screening, and care for underserved communities. The Society's ongoing efforts in Brazil have played an important role in building cancer control leadership and strengthening the institutional and advocacy capacity of Brazilian NGOs that has catalyzed these successful efforts to prevent cancer deaths and improve the quality of life of those diagnosed with cancer.

The American Cancer Society’s Global Fight Against Breast Cancer - progress and partnerships in Latin America

Last week, we shared with you information on the global burden of breast cancer. Today, we’d like to take a closer look at the work we are doing in Latin America specifically.

Over the past 10 years, the Society has collaborated with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), Ministries of Health, journalists, and other institutions in countries throughout Latin America. The American Cancer Society (ACS) has supported regional NGOs on grant projects that aim to promote public awareness about cancer, develop culturally-appropriate health communication strategies, train health professionals, and influence cancer control policy.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and cause of cancer deaths in women in Latin America. In 2008, approximately 114,898 new breast cancer cases were diagnosed and 36,952 women died of breast cancer in the region.  And, these rates are expected to continue to increase.

Through providing advocacy grants and sharing expertise, we enable local cancer nonprofits to improve policies and patient care and make a greater impact on breast cancer. This year, six of them are part of the ACS Brazil Survivor Project (Projeto Vitoriosa), an innovative project that combines advocacy grants with a personalized and intensive capacity-building consultancy to strengthen NGOs leadership, sustainability, impact, and mobilizing power. 

Projeto Vitoriosa aims to empower survivors to effect policy change through strategic engagement with decision makers and the media and the strengthening of civil society leadership.  These ongoing advocacy grants have led to the training of hundreds of advocates, the strengthening of collaborations between local stakeholders, increased participation of advocates in decision processes, and a greater commitment of municipal and state authorities to breast cancer control.

Meet our some of our “Survivor Project” Grantees

Associação Brasileira de Apoio aos Pacientes de Câncer (ABRAPAC), based in Rio de Janeiro

ABRAPAC is developing and implementing a project entitled “Breast Alert!” (Mama Alerta!) aimed at identifying key complaints and issues faced by women using public health services for screening and treatment, and informing decision makers and the media about them to promote improvements in access, service delivery, and policy implementatio

Associação Brasileira de Portadores de Câncer (AMUCC), based in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina

Leoni Simms, a breast cancer survivor, ACS Global Cancer Ambassador, and President of AMUCC, an ACS grantee NGO and one of the leading cancer organizations in Brazil.

AMUCC has created and trained a network of advocacy organizations in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, to promote participation in municipal health councils and improve breast cancer control policies.  Following selection of 20 volunteers and survivors from 5 NGOs, AMUUC organized breast cancer advocacy training and has promoted and supported the participation and engagement of advocates in municipal health councils to improve implementation of breast cancer policies. AMUCC is also implementing a project (Projeto de Orientação Juridica em Câncer de Mama) focused on raising awareness about patient legal rights to cancer care and social services for patients. 

In addition to advocacy grants, the American Cancer Society also supports information projects that focus on raising awareness of breast cancer early detection among the general public and community health workers, with a focus on poor underserved communities. The ongoing information projects are leading to the training of more than 2,000 health professionals working in underserved urban and rural areas throughout Brazil, including community health workers and primary care doctors. These projects have led to training and education of a variety of other audiences including nurses, community organizations, the media, and the general public. These trainings includes the promotion of regular doctor consultations and breast exams, raising awareness of breast cancer and the importance of breast cancer early detection.

One of the most impactful of these projects is the work of Núcleo Assistencial para Pessoas com Câncer (NASPEC), to raise breast cancer awareness in the interior of the state of Bahia, where late stage diagnosis is the norm. Through this project, NASPEC helped raise awareness of breast cancer and promote early detection in 18 municipalities in the interior of the state of Bahia through training 1,826 community health agents of the Family Health Program. 

To strengthen breast cancer advocacy activities throughout the region, the Society supported the creation of the Latin America Coalition on Women’s Cancers, ULACCAM (Union Latinoamericana Contra el Cancer de la Mujer). The coalition, now in its third year, aims to strengthen regional and national legislation and public policies for the effective regional control of women’s cancers. ULACCAM is currently chaired by Mexican NGO, Fundacion CIMA*B and includes NGOs from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Costa Rica and Chile.    In Mexico city in September this year, the American Cancer Society worked with Fundacion CIMA*B to hold an ULACCAM regional meeting as well as a training for 15 journalists from Latin American countries to improve breast cancer reporting.

The iconic "Christ the Redeemer" in Rio de Janeiro lights up pink to mark Breast Cancer Awareness month.

As part of Carolina Herrera’s support for the American Cancer Society’s breast cancer efforts in Latin America, the designer fashion and cosmetics company has launched a pink version of the CH perfume. The pink version of the perfume included packaging that promotes ACS breast cancer programs in Latin America. This support has allowed the Society to award patient services grants for local breast cancer organizations that are part of ULACCAM. Carolina Herrera has also collaborated with ACS in awareness efforts for breast cancer awareness month.  The partnership between Carolina Herrera and the Society has included the pink lighting of the iconic "Christ the Redeemer" in Rio de Janeiro (2010) and the Castle of Chapultepec in Mexico city (2011) with local NGO partners and officials. This year, to mark Breast Cancer Awareness month, Carolina Herrera has created a "Gesture of Love" campaign.

The American Cancer Society work in Latin America has led to funding, education, and training for thousands of advocates, volunteers, and health care professionals.  These actions have strengthened national advocacy efforts and brought positive policy changes for cancer control, helping to de-stigmatize cancer, promote health equity, and improve the quality of life of those diagnosed with cancer. 

To date, ACS has organized more than 20 NGO trainings and trained close to 150 organizations from 16 countries working in cancer control in the region.  ACS has awarded more than 100 grants to more than 75 NGOs.  The work of ACS grantees in the region has led to 68,100 cancer screenings conducted, 21,600 people trained in cancer awareness and/or advocacy education, 277,500 cancer informational materials distributed, and 500 meetings with decision makers. But, we won’t stop there. We continue to work in the region and around the world, building relationships and working to generate awareness for the cause. To learn more, visit global.cancer.org.

Fighting Breast Cancer Worldwide

The US National Breast Cancer Awareness Month provides the American Cancer Society the opportunity to talk about the breast cancer burden from not only a domestic perspective, but a global perspective as well. We know and understand that cancer has no geographical boundaries.  Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. 

An estimated 1.4 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 458,400 women died from breast cancer in 2008, despite the fact that many cases can be successfully treated when detected early. These death rates are climbing in many developing countries due to lack of access to affordable treatment and early detection. The five-year relative survival rates for breast cancer are as low as 12 percent in some low-income countries.

“Women’s health, fighting specifically breast and cervical cancers, is a cause we are dedicated to at the American Cancer Society,” said Ann McMikel, American Cancer Society Managing Director of African Cancer Control and Global Health Planning. “We are working to build lasting partnerships with nongovernmental organizations, political leaders and funders around the world to support our global grassroots network  with the advocacy tools and resources they need to help make the greatest impacton this disease.”

Dr. Olufunmilayo Olopade with First Lady of South Africa Madam Tobeka Zuma at the American Cancer Society's session on women and cancer organized on the sidelines of the UN High-level meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases in New York last year.

To address the cancer burden in Africa and its unique impact on women, the American Cancer Society partners with a coalition of regional leaders, including health ministers, health workers, cancer advocates, and journalists, to raise global awareness about women’s cancers and promote policies that advance the fight against this disease. Through its successful capacity-building programs in Africa during the past 10 years, the Society has mobilized more than 150 civil society leaders from 15 countries and formed a powerful Africa Cancer Ambassadors Network that focuses on supporting policy-driven action and raising cancer awareness in the region. The Society also works with outstanding leaders, such as Olufunmilayo Olopade, M.B., B.S., F.A.C.P., of Chicago, in the field of US and global breast cancer research.  Dr. Olopade, a recipient of the Society’s Distinguished Service Award, has examined the  BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in diverse populations. Her laboratory was the first to describe recurrent BRCA1 mutations in extended African American families with breast cancer, a study she has extended to the founder population of African Americans in West Africa.

Launch of the Latin American Women's Cancers Advocacy Coalition (ULACCAM) in Argentina this year.

 In Latin America, the Society is creating high-level programs with ministries of health, patient-focused organizations, and the media to increase the national ability to address cancer as a complex disease with unique requirements for health systems. The Society has trained and partnered with more than 100 organizations and 1,000 advocates working in cervical and breast cancer in the region, and chairs the Latin America Advocacy Coalition on Women’s Cancers. These partnerships  empower local civil societies to demand more effective cancer control policies, facilitate work with governments in Latin America to improve access to lifesaving services for low-income women, and engage the media to destigmatize cancer by amplifying the voice of the cancer survivor.

Focusing on fighting these cancers is a priority for the American Cancer Society, not only because they affect so many women, but also because proven prevention, screening, and treatment options exist.

Advancing Tobacco Control: New Digital Platforms Highlight Data in the Tobacco Atlas, 4th Edition

Washington, D.C. — The American Cancer Society (ACS) and World Lung Foundation (WLF) today release the video "How Much is a Life Worth? The Truth About Tobacco" which sheds light on the global tobacco burden and devious tactics employed by the tobacco industry to addict new users. This video also reveals how much the industry profits per tobacco death. The production highlights data from The Tobacco Atlas, 4th Edition, published by ACS in partnership with WLF.

The Atlas is also available in a new mobile application, which automatically launches when you visit TobaccoAtlas.org on your mobile web browser. This video and mobile application launch today at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, during a global tobacco panel discussion co-hosted by ACS, WLF and the World Bank. Help us spread the truth about tobacco by sharing this video with friends, colleagues, and via social media using the hashtag #TobaccoAtlas.

Snowballs in Prague: How ACS Research Leads to Real-World Change

By Hana Ross, Managing Director, International Tobacco Control Research, American Cancer Society Intramural Research department. Edited by John M. Daniel.

Prague, Czech Republic —  As a member of the American Cancer Society’s Intramural Research department, I know the scientific progress we make here has applications in the “real world.” But recently I saw firsthand how something we do routinely – publish research results in a scientific journal – can become something bigger that will immediately make a difference in the fight against cancer.

In June, along with researchers from the University of Bath and the University of Edinburgh, we published an article in PLoSMedicine. This article, a case study of tobacco industry interference with tobacco tax and advertising policy, revealed the close links between the major tobacco companies and policymakers in the Czech Republic, showing how Big Tobacco influenced policy there.

This discovery caught the attention of the Czech tobacco control advocates, who organized a press conference at the Czech Senate, chaired by its President Milan Stech and sponsored by the Deputy Director of the Health and Social Committee of the Czech Senate Jan Zaloudik, M.D., who is also a well-respected oncologist. Apart from myself, the other invited speakers were Professor Robert West, PhD, from University College in London, Eva Kralikova, M.D. from Charles University in Prague, and Katherine Smith, PhD, from the University of Edinburgh.

About 30 journalists attended the press conference, and the Czech Press Agency distributed the story to the country’s principal newspapers. I sat for an interview that was broadcasted on primetime TV news, and a print interview that included my thoughts was featured the following day as the “interview of the week” in the most-respected Czech economic newspaper. In addition, Dr. Smith and I provided an interview to the popular magazine Respect – the Czech equivalent of Time magazine. A TV film crew also shot a documentary with all press conference participants about the influence of the tobacco industry in the country. The film will be aired this October.

In apparent damage control for the press conference, the spokesperson for Philip Morris Czech Republic arranged for an interview in the daily Lidove Noviny (people’s newspaper) that was published three days before the event. The article portrays the tobacco business as vital for the Czech economy exaggerating its contributions to the state budget while disregarding the enormous economic costs caused by tobacco use. It also claims that only criminals benefit from any attempt to control tobacco use in the country, because too many regulations drive the tobacco business underground and the state loses its tax income. This last point was supported by a conveniently timed police raid conducted the same day as the press conference that discovered five tons of smuggled tobacco and more than 200,000 smuggled cigarettes near Prague. Senator Zaloudik will enquire about the raid and whether it was reported to the European Commission, the administrative body of the European Union. If the recovered smuggled goods are genuine products, the tobacco companies could face substantial penalties according to their contract with the commission.

This media reaction to this news was unprecedented. As a Czech native who works in tobacco control research, I have held press conferences in the Czech Republic before, but never has there been so much interest as this time. Even the questions journalists asked were different – better informed and to the point.

Tobacco control is clearly gaining ground in the Czech Republic. The country has finally ratified the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), and was the last country in Europe to do so. The PLoSMedicine article and the press coverage that accompanied it are breakthroughs that should further galvanize the tobacco control movement in the Czech Republic as it faces tough opposition in its attempt to establish smoke-free restaurants and cafes – interventions that studies show reduce smoking prevalence and, by extension, the incidence of lung cancer.

The country’s ratification of the FCTC is such an important event because the Czech Republic is very influential, both economically and culturally, in Central and Eastern Europe. For this reason, Philip Morris International chose the country in the 1990s for its first significant investment in the former socialist bloc. Today, the country is poised to be the first major battleground in the region between Big Tobacco and cancer control advocates – a battle which may well determine whether tobacco use (and lung cancer) throughout Eastern Europe can be brought under control via taxation and policy, as has been done successfully in Western Europe.

Not all of the American Cancer Society’s research publications result in press conferences, primetime TV coverage, and police raids. Most of them impact the cancer fight much more quietly, as fellow researchers and cancer control advocates worldwide build on them or apply them in practice. Still, it’s gratifying to know something we do can snowball in such a way, and help to save lives from cancer around the globe.

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The Anniversary of the UN High-level Meeting on NCDs

 By Ann McMikel, Managing Director, African Cancer Control and Global Health Planning, American Cancer Society 

Today marks the first anniversary of the historic UN High-level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs). This meeting represents the first major global effort to address NCDs, the leading causes of death in the world. Today, cancer and other NCDs, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and chronic respiratory diseases, kill about 36 million people each year, and without intervention, the number of NCD deaths is projected to increase to 44 million deaths annually by 2020.

During the UN meeting, world leaders took an important first step in addressing NCDs, by unanimously adopting a declaration that acknowledged the global burden of NCDs and establishing a process to set measurable targets for bringing these diseases under control.

At the World Health Assembly in May 2012, UN member states adopted the first major target for NCD control:  a 25 percent reduction in premature mortality from NCDs by 2025. The World Health Organization is currently developing additional targets and indicators for the prevention and control of NCDs and NCD risk factors and for strengthening health systems and providing access to essential medicines.

These are important steps; however, our work is far from over. These targets and indicators must be adopted and governments must take steps to achieve them, including the allocation of sufficient human and financial resources to achieve measurable progress. Creating broad and holistic public health and health care systems that meet the diverse health needs of populations is key to both NCD control and the improvement of overall health. And finally, the inclusion of NCDs in future health and development agendas will ensure that we continue to make progress against these deadly diseases for many years to come.

Our thanks and appreciation go out to all who helped achieve these important milestones and who are working to ensure a future without the deadly impact of NCDs.  

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American Cancer Society Collaboration in sub-Saharan Africa Advances Tobacco Control in the Region

By Evan Blecher, PhD, International Tobacco Control Research Program, The American Cancer Society 

 Cape Town, South Africa — One of the exciting opportunities championed by the American Cancer Society in Africa is supporting tobacco control in the sub-Saharan region. Raising the rate of taxation on tobacco products has been widely shown to be the most effective way to reduce tobacco consumption. In support of those objectives, the Society’s International Tobacco Control Research Program (ITCRP) has had a busy summer.

 Following the World Bank/Southern African Development Community workshop on “The economics of tobacco control in Southern Africa: the issues of taxation and smuggling” June 3-5 in Botswana, the ITCRP held two important workshops in partnership with the University of Cape Town (UCT). The collaborative work with UCT forms part of the African Tobacco Control Consortium (ATCC) project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

 Society Offers Tobacco-tax Strategies at High-level Meeting Attended by Governments from 15 African Countries

The first workshop was a tax training session June 11-13 in Botswana in collaboration with a local non-governmental organization, the Anti-Tobacco Network. This country-level training brought together policy makers and civil society to discuss a path forward for tobacco taxation in Botswana. Topics discussed included the technical aspects of tobacco taxation with a particular emphasis on the regional dynamics, as well as discussions on mapping out the critical action points for policy development.

Participants included representatives from the Ministries of Health, Finance and Trade, the Botswana Unified Revenue Service, the Botswana Confederation of Commerce & Industry Management, and the University of Botswana.

The workshop was facilitated by Dr. Evan Blecher from the ITCRP, Professor Corne Van Walbeek from UCT, and Dr. Yussuf Saloojee from the National Council Against Smoking. Dr. Saloojee is a recent recipient of the Luther Terry Award, the American Cancer Society’s highest honor in international tobacco control.

Botswana is a priority country in the African Tobacco Control Consortium, and the Anti-Tobacco Network is currently receiving funding from the consortium.

Groundbreaking Researcher Program Draws Participants from Nine African Countries

The second workshop was an innovative and first-of-its-kind project – an Emerging Researcher Program. The workshop brought together 12 researchers from nine countries (Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Niger, South Africa, Togo, and Zimbabwe) for a weeklong session July 16-20 at UCT. The purpose of the workshop was to:

• Expose delegates to a broad overview of the economics of tobacco control and help them navigate through the main data sources for the African continent
• Familiarize participants with key data analysis techniques and research methodologies in tobacco control research
• Share examples of research conducted in an African and low- and middle-income country/region context
• Discuss challenges of and solutions for conducting research in data poor environment.
• Allow participants to discuss research plans both formally and informally

 Gaotlhobogwe Motlaleng, University Of Botswana, Paphidzo Batisani, Botswana Unified Revenue Service, Itumeleng Magama, Ministry Of Finance and Development Planning, Gorata Moloise, Ministry of Trade and Consumer Affairs, Kutlwano Tina Mosime, Botswana Anti-Tobacco Network Board Member, Kabelo Antony Ebineng, Botswana Confederation of Commerce & Industry Management, Tabby Maphangela, Ministry of Health, Refilwe Tsopito, Botswana Anti-Tobacco Network, Corne van Walbeek, School of Economics, University of Cape Town, Evan Blecher, American Cancer Society, Yussuf Saloojee, National Council Against Smoking, Nicole Vellios, School of Economics, Univeristy of Cape Town, Jamie Tam, University of Michigan, Bontle Mbongwe, University of Botswana and Botswana Anti-Tobacco Network, Teresa Aluku, American Cancer Society, Mollie Levine, University of Southern California (Cape Town, South Africa July 2012)

Participants are in the process of applying for small research grants to conduct a tobacco control research in their own country/region. The workshop was facilitated by Dr. Evan Blecher and Dr. Hana Ross from the ITCRP, Professor Corne Van Walbeek from UCT, and Professor Emmanuel Guindon from the University of Montreal. Other presenters included UCT staff, as well as the National Council Against Smoking, and Rosemary Kennedy from the Global Health department at ACS.

The success of these workshops reflects the growing relationship between the American Cancer Society and UCT. This partnership began with a two-year pilot project in early 2011 and has grown into part of the ATCC project. An important aspect of this collaboration has been the significant increase in capacity from both a technical and programmatic perspective at UTC, with full-time programmatic and academic staff working on tobacco control, and several graduate students providing technical and research support. Furthermore, UCT is now developing as a critical and leading resource on the economics of tobacco control, not only in Africa but around the world.

 

What Australia's Win against Big Tobacco Means for Global Health

By John R. Seffrin, Ph.D, Chief Executive Officer, The American Cancer Society 

The ruling this week by Australia's high court to uphold its government’s right to introduce “plain packaging” for tobacco products is a landmark event for global health. With the world's eyes watching this decision, the court struck down a challenge from the biggest cigarette manufacturers around the globe.

This is a significant victory for public health in Australia, and the world, on several levels. Marketing and branding by tobacco industries helps reinforce the image of the most profitable, and deadly, companies in the world. But starting in December, cigarette packaging in Australia will not have tobacco company logos and branding. According to the new law, they must be sold in plain, drab, olive-colored boxes with brand names in a standard typeface. Instead of tobacco logos, the packaging will feature stark images of victims suffering from tobacco-related diseases.

We know, also, that youth respond to graphic tobacco images and that these new packages will likely prevent this group from starting smoking. Plain packaging also prevents cigarette companies from creating packages that mislead consumers with claims that “light” or “low tar” cigarettes are less harmful than regular cigarettes. This law also makes it illegal for manufacturers to use “slim” packages to amplify the perception that smoking helps them with weight loss.

As the chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society, I am grateful for this ruling on plain packaging, as it will undoubtedly reduce the cancer burden in Australia. Globally, tobacco kills up to half of its users. It takes the lives of nearly six million people per year.

However, the significance of this Australia ruling extends to countries around the world and the global health community. The reason tobacco companies have fought vociferously against plain packaging is because they know this will have a major impact in not only decreasing the number of new consumers who may become addicted, but also because other countries may follow Australia’s lead. The decision extends beyond even the U.S. FDA proposal to place graphic warning labels on U.S. cigarette packages, which itself is being challenged in court by the tobacco industry.

Australia has long been a leader in public health advocacy when it comes to saving lives from tobacco usage. I personally congratulate the hard work of Australian Attorney General Nicola Roxon and her colleagues for their vision and for the years of hard work it has taken to first craft and now implement this game-changing law. In addition, we congratulate Australia's Health Minister Tanya Plibersek and its Department of Health and Ageing, a recipient earlier this year of the American Cancer Society's prestigious Luther Terry Award for Outstanding Leadership in Global Tobacco Control.

This decision at the highest level of Australia’s court system will likely incentivize and motivate other countries to follow suit with similar legislation against an extremely well-funded and powerful tobacco industry. We have seen tobacco industry leaders issue ominous warnings about their continued efforts to challenge packaging in other countries, but we stand strong and united as a global community, committed to working together to prevent needless death and disease from the global scourge that is tobacco. 

Reflections on The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development

Rio de Janeiro — The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) concluded on June 22. While there was some general disappointment that Rio + 20 fell short in terms of overall outcomes and commitments for sustainable development, World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Margaret Chan called the conference “a victory for health”. This is a big testimony to the collective advocacy by the global health community — one reinforced in this video produced by Framing the Cause and featuring an interview with Maria Blair, ACS national vice president of strategy. The importance of health to sustainable development was scarcely mentioned and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) were completely absent when the Zero Draft of the Rio+20 outcome document was released in January.

NCDs such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and diabetes are the leading causes of death in the world, accounting for 63% of global deaths with developing countries facing a majority of the burden. Failure to adequately address these diseases will undermine any sustainable development efforts, while there are important synergies between efforts for NCD prevention and control and wider sustainable development initiatives, goals, and targets. With this belief, the American Cancer Society and its global partners launched a concerted effort to make sure that health and NCDs were a priority at Rio+20 negotiations.

During the conference, the Society, in collaboration with the NCD Alliance hosted an official UN side event at Rio+20 on “Health within the Green Economy: Multisectoral Frameworks for NCD Control and Sustainable Development”. The event included Olav Kjørven, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Director of the Bureau for Development Policy who spoke about NCDs as a development issue and the need for integrated action to address the NCD burden. National Vice President of the American Cancer Society Maria Blair emphasized the need for Strong leadership and collaboration to effectively face the NCD challenge.

The Society also took on the responsibility of coordinating the efforts of the Rio+20 NGO Health Cluster. The Health Cluster, which advocated to strengthen attention to health and specific global health priorities in the Rio+20 outcomes document, comprised 45 organizations across the globe working in the area of public health.

Our efforts, along with those of other health and development NGOs, WHO, the host government Brazil, and some active Member States, have paid off.In the final Rio+20 outcome document, there are several health references and one section devoted entirely to the importance of health. Health is recognized as “a precondition for, an outcome of, and indicator of all three dimensions of sustainable development.” The significance of NCDs and the importance of strengthened prevention and control efforts are also included in the final document, a victory for this conference. In the text, UN Member States acknowledge “the global burden and threat of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) constitutes one of the major challenges for sustainable development in the twenty-first century” and go on to: commit to promote affordable access to prevention, treatment, care and support related to NCDs, commit to establish or strengthen multi-sectoral national policies for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and encourage the provision of assistance to developing countries.

Earlier in May, the World Health Assembly committed to a global target of achieving a 25% reduction in premature deaths from NCDs by 2025. The coverage of NCDs in the Rio+20 outcome document have helped to further expand global attention to these diseases beyond the global health policy agenda to inclusion in the wider global development agenda. We must build upon this momentum to make sure that health is at the forefront of national health and development planning and NCDs are fully integrated in future global development goals. As the UN and WHO work to strengthen institutional frameworks and metrics for global and national NCD prevention and control, ACS will continue to work with its partners worldwide to strengthen NCD prevention and control, thereby preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer.

American Cancer Society co-hosts Satellite Session at AIDS 2012 as Member of the Task Force on Noncommunicable Diseases and Women’s Health

By Cristina Parsons Perez, Director of Cancer Advocacy, American Cancer Society Global Health Department

Washington, D.C. — The Task Force on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and Women's health, organized its first joint activity during the 2012 International AIDS Conference in D.C. by co-hosting a session on 'Women, HIV and NCDs: making the links and moving to action'. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which include cancer, diabetes, heart disease and chronic respiratory illnesses are responsible for 63% of deaths globally and take a devastating toll on women in developing countries.

The American Cancer Society is a founding member; co-chair and secretariat of the Task Force. High level panelist speakers at the event held on Sunday afternoon included: Peter Piot, Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and former executive director of UNAIDS; Sally Cowal, CEO of PSI; Peter Lamptey, President Emeritus of FHI 360; Peter Drobac, Rwanda Country Director of Partners in Health and Nana Oye Lithur, human rights lawyer and activist from Ghana. The Session offered a concrete way to actively engage the HIV/AIDS community on cancer and other NCDs.

The panel, moderated by Laurie Garrett, Senior Fellow of the Council on Foreign relations, acknowledged and discussed the serious burden of NCDs in women living with HIV and acknowledged the opportunities available to take action highlighting current on-the-ground experiences in integrating services. Peter Piot mentioned the alarming rate of increase in NCDs, even in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, and how the tackling of the HIV epidemic is unmasking the NCD burden in low-income countries.

Cervical cancer was highlighted as a serious health issue for women living with HIV and integration into sexual and reproductive health services was highlighted as one of the first opportunities for service integration being explored. Discussions on integration of services also emphasized access to universal healthcare; working with private healthcare providers, and exploring packages of NCD prevention and treatment services at HIV testing-and-screening sites as well as treatment centers.

Panelists noted that countries that have invested in tackling infectious disease and HIV specifically have already done heavy health system investing that can be leveraged for NCDs. The existence of low cost interventions for tackling NCDs were highlighted but panelists also underlined the need for increased resourcing for NCDs. The panel concluded that urgent action is needed, with concrete policies as well as pilot projects to explore best practices in integration. A strong civil society advocating for action would be the crucial element to underpin this urgency. To support the continued engagement with the HIV/AIDS community, the Task Force launched a policy brief on Women, HIV, and NCDs.